This
talk was given by Grand Master Wei Chueh on December 22, 2001,
at Buddha Gate Monastery. It was translated orally by Ven.
Jian Hu, then transcribed and edited into its present
form.

page4

Functions of the Mind

We can understand
this mind from three different perspectives: from
its function, from its characteristics, and from
its essence. How big is our mind? Everything in
the past, present, and future is contained in this
mind. The world in all directions, north, south,
east, and west, above and below, all space and
time are within our mind. The mind is infinite; it
has no boundaries. There is a well-known Chinese
saying that the mind knows no distance. The mind
can function regardless of distance, far or near.
For example, with the war on terrorism that is
going on right now, the United States and other
countries have sent troops to Afghanistan.
Families of the soldiers back home may be very
worried. One night the wife may dream that her
husband is sick. She calls and finds out that the
soldier is indeed sick. Why is this? It is because
the mind knows no distance. No matter how far,
whether separated by mountains or oceans, the mind
can still function. When the mind is constantly
thinking about something, we reach a certain level
of concentration that generates power. We sleep in
a small bed but the mind can dream of mountains
and oceans and vast space. Sometimes you have good
dreams where you are very happy and when you wake
up it all vanishes. When you have a nightmare, the
fear you have is very real. Your dreams seem so
real but in fact they are really intangible. These
are all the functions of the mind. A blind person
can walk using a walking stick. There are blind
artists who can make sculptures. This is what the
mind can do when it is very concentrated. This
mind is very profound and subtle. People are used
to using their eyes to look outward and their ears
to listen to outside sounds. If we can learn to
look inward and listen within, we will be able to
reach tranquility and peace very quickly.

There once was a
Chinese man who had severe arthritis and had been
bedridden for eight or nine years. One day the
house suddenly caught fire and everyone in his
family grabbed their precious belongings and
escaped outside. After the house burned down, they
suddenly remembered that the sick man was still
inside the house. Surely he was killed! Everyone
felt very sorry and mourned for him. Suddenly,
they heard the man yelling from a hill asking them
to bring him down. Surprised, they asked him how
he got up there in the first place. He said that
when he saw the fire, he forgot about his
arthritis and ran up the hill! They said, "If you
could go up, you can come down the same way." He
said, "But my arthritis hurts so badly that I
cannot move!" If we can learn to focus the mind,
it can be very powerful.

Practicing the
Dharma and meditation teaches us how to focus and
use our mind. To use this mind we need to awaken
the mind. Once awakened, we can purify the mind.
Then we can return to the original source. That is
what we mean by: "To enlighten the mind is to
realize the true nature, to realize the true
nature is to become a Buddha." Once enlightened,
one is the Buddha; unenlightened, one is an
ordinary being. If the mind has vexations and
creates bad karmas then one falls into the
suffering realms; if the mind has evil views then
one becomes the devil.

Purity of the Mind

I think that
everyone wants to realize the true nature of this
mind. Where is this mind? In fact this mind is
right here, all of it is ever-present. The great
Zen master Bodhidharma has said, "In your eyes, it
is called seeing; in your ears, it is called
hearing; in your nose, you can smell the
fragrance; in your tongue, you can detect the
sweetness, sourness, and all the flavors of the
food; in your hands you can grab things, and in
your feet it is the walking." These are all
functions of the mind. So if everyone has this
mind already, why can't we all become Buddhas? It
is because of our delusions and attachments. If we
can get rid of these two problems, our mind will
be like still water or like a clear mirror; our
mind can radiate light and move the earth. People
use their eyes to look at the outside world; when
we see the good and the bad then we start to
discriminate and mental afflictions arise. When
our ears hear others praising us, we are
overjoyed, and when others criticize us, we become
angry. So, afflictions and prejudice often arise
from the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind.
In this way our mind is like a pool of muddy
water, unable to produce great power, unable to
function wisely. It is important for us to reflect
and examine ourselves. When our eyes see things we
should not cling to them; when receiving praise we
should not be overjoyed; when slandered we should
not be upset. At all times the mind remains calm
and peaceful. This is what the Diamond Sutra says,
"Let the mind function without abiding." When our
six sense organs (eyes, ears, ˇKconsciousness) are
in contact with the six "dusts" (form, sound, ˇK
dharmas), we will know what is right or wrong; we
will know what is bad or good and yet the mind is
not polluted. We are fully aware yet we do not
crave or cling to things. In this way our senses
revert to purity.

A Zen master once
said that Zen practice is to "walk through a
flower field / without a single leaf clinging on
you." What does that mean? It means that
everywhere we go and in everything we do, the mind
is free from attachment and delusions. We are
aware but we do not cling. This is how we purify
the mind and our sense organs. This is called
sitting on the platform of white lotuses. The
lotus blossom grows out of dirty muddy water but
it is very pristine and pure. Our mind should be
like that, rising from impurities but free from
contamination.